Booky Book-Books

(I sent this letter home with the scholastic forms attached, but I thought I would post it to my website as well.  Thanks.) 

Hey, Parents!

It’s book order time!

Purchasing books from Scholastic has never been easier!  You can just go to my website and click the Scholastic link!  (You might want to visit my website anyway to check in on assignments that are coming up for your student!)

I will be making the order on Friday, September 19th.  There are MANY books online, and they are comparable to Half-Price Bookstore prices.  You can even find wonderful selections for $1!  There are TONS of classical selections if you student plans on participating in The Classic Reading Challenge.  There are also TONS of selections for “the reluctant reader.”  Summaries are included on the Scholastic website, and every reading-need and level is accommodated.  

There are three ways you can order:

Look through a catalog and send in the order form and cash for your selections.

OR

2. Go to my website by clicking on my face at the faculty page at trinitychristian.net. Then click the Scholastic link to the left. 

OR

3. Go to scholastic.com, and enter our class code: JJW7D

Benefits of Ordering:

You get books at a great price!

AND

2. Your students interest level in reading is peaked!

AND

3. For every order, we get a FREE book for our classroom library!

On the Scholastic website, we also have a classroom wish list for books that students request.  You and your student can add any book to this list, just let me know, and I will make sure that your wish-book gets put on our list!  Sometimes a donation is made, and we are able to purchase our wishes!  

Thanks!

Mrs. Agate

Recess!

I took the 7th graders out for twenty minutes today and brought my camera along on our little break because I knew the results of an impromptu recess would be fun to share.  Even though we do not officially have recess in the middle school, the teachers might find a few moments on a random Friday to get these kids outside.  The students certainly proved to enjoy their time out there, as you can see!

(Who says they're too old for the playground?!)

:)

Have a fantastic weekend!

What's Happenin'?

Dear Parents and Students, 

We have had a great start to our year!  I know it may have seemed a bit hectic off the bat, but I can see that the students are really getting into the swing of 7th and 8th grade.  I am thankful for the blessing of such fantastic middle schoolers!  

I know that middle schoolers can be a bit reserved when it comes to information about the school day, so here is a little glimpse of what is going on in my classes....

English 7: We have been working on the mechanics of writing and reviewing grammar.  The students are finding that they can still be creative within a structured format of writing.  We just finished a five paragraph persuasive essay with a three point thesis.  The instructions were very specific, and we took a lot of class time to give examples of excellent writing and instruction on how to improve our writing.  Their binders are already filling with notes, handouts, and more.  Check out the writing and also the grammar sections of their binders for a more detailed look of some of the material we have been tackling!

English 8: We kicked off the year with a fabulous poetry unit.  The students have been taking notes on poetic elements, reading and analyzing a variety of poetry, and learning how to write poetry themselves!  Look in the literature section of their binder to see more!  We also have been reviewing grammar, and we are starting our first vocabulary unit next week as well.

Bible 7: For our Christian Schools International Bible Curriculum, Unit 1 is an overview of the Old Testament with a focus on covenant fulfillment.  The students have already memorized a verse (Jer. 29:11) and are on to their second verse (Deut. 6:4-6).  The students have been amazing with participation and discussion.  The whole class is together for Bible class (26 students, whereas they are divided in half for most classes), and their behavior has been impeccable.  This group is fun-loving but also focused.  I am really proud of these students!  In Bible they have been taking notes (see study guide and workbook pages for more information), and we are currently on lesson 9.

Bible 8: Our first unit is an overview of the New Testament with an emphasis on the Gospels.  The students have been diligently taking notes (also see study guide and workbook pages), and we have had awesome discussion in class.  Meanwhile, the students have been working on Gospel presentation projects and were assigned to groups of four to collaborate on executing the details of the project.  (See handout for requirements.)  They are also writing papers in MLA format on an assigned Gospel writer.  Their scripture memory work is on the seven last phrases of Jesus, and this will be assessed with their unit test.  By the way, I love having the

se students for the first and last periods of the day.  They are the greatest junior highers! :)

If you ever have any questions, just shoot an email my way, or you can always call the office to speak with me over the phone or even schedule a conference.  

Thanks!
Mrs. Agate

7th Grade Memory Verse

Due to there being several quizzes and assignments due on Friday, I am changing the 7th grade Bible Memory verse due date to Tuesday, September 2nd.  The students simply need to have memorized Jeremiah 29:11 (ESV) by Tuesday.  This assignment was given on the second day of school, so this should be plenty of time to memorize one verse.  I pray that all are successful in storing God's Word in their hearts and reflecting on His promises! 

Off to a Great Start!

The middle schoolers are off to a great start this year!  I feel very blessed to have such wonderful students.  Class participation has been fantastic, and everyone has been on his/her best behavior!

Don't forget that tomorrow (Thursday) is the spaghetti dinner to support TCS athletics, and the dinner is followed by an Open House where you can get more familiar with classrooms and teachers.  I handed out flyers yesterday, and perhaps they even made it home! :)  

I thought I would share these pictures taken at the start of the first day of school.

 

7th Grade

 

8th Grade

WELCOME!

Welcome to Middle School! 

I am very excited to teach the awesome 7th and 8th graders for another year, and I pray my enthusiasm is contagious! I am passionate about teaching English, and it is also my privilege to teach Bible to the middle schoolers. I am eager to share my knowledge and zeal for such subjects, and the students have MUCH to look forward to for this school year. Junior high is a very integral time in schooling which marks an important era of transition from elementary to high school. These two years a precious and special, and together we will set goals for academic, social and, most importantly, spiritual growth.  

My teaching style is very hands-on, conversational, and interactive. I believe all activities we do in the classroom should have a concrete purpose which gives the learner a reason to desire achievement and understanding within each assignment. I do not give any busy-work in or outside of the classroom.  I maintain high standards for each student, and I expect the students to do their best as I will strive to do mine.  Of course, we will ask the Holy Spirit for guidance and strength daily!

One point of emphasis in my classroom is organization as it is vital to achieving success in the classroom. You may have noticed I requested a 2-inch binder with five dividers for English --for Writing, Grammar, Literature, Vocabulary, and Analogies. This is not to bog anyone down, but to help each student succeed in being structured. (All the language arts notes, hand-outs, essays, rubrics, homework, tests, etc. will stay in this organized, sectioned binder as I will hole-punch all the papers I give out. Please check these binders regularly.) 

In addition to an organized binder, the students are accountable to keep track of their specific assignments and write them down daily. I give out homework orally, write all the assignments on the homework board, and oftentimes give the students an additional explanatory hand-out for papers and projects. Tests, quizzes, projects, and papers are posted to my website as well. I want each student to be set up for success!  I suggest keeping a daily planner for all subjects.

This year each student will receive the following books from me: Literature Textbook, Vocabulary Workbook, Grammar Textbook and Workbook, Writing Packet, Journal, Bible Textbook, Bible Workbook, and various novels throughout the year. Students are responsible for keeping textbooks covered and in superb condition. 

If there are any questions (from you or your student), I will entertain them at my earliest convenience at kagate@trinitychristian.net; you can also reach me at school at 412-242-8886. And I encourage you to follow my class webpage for updates, assignment explanations, duedates, etc. It is a wonderful resource for students and parents. To get to my website, simply click on my faculty photo on the school's website: trinitychristian.net.  To sign up for updates to the website, simply scroll to the bottom and enter your email.  

Thank you for entrusting me with your awesome students!  I do not take this honor lightly! I’m looking forward to a wonderful year!

Love, In Christ,

Katie Agate

NOTE: PLEASE SCOLL TO THE BOTTOM OF THIS PAGE AND INSERT YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS(ES) TO RECEIVE UPDATES FROM THIS WEBSITE.

Goodbye, Eighth Grade Sweeties!

I have SO VERY MUCH enjoyed teaching the amazing rising FRESHMAN for the last two years.  I love them all very much and thank them all for being a tremendous blessing to me.  (I will still be downstairs next year if you guys need me! :))

I also thank you AWESOME PARENTS for your abounding support and encouragement!  

Love,
Mrs. Agate

PS- This summer, you need to READ, READ, READ!  Most importantly, read God's Word everyday and draw nearer to your Savior.   Reading a few great novels would be awesome too!  Feel free to email me for any suggestions-- devotions, novels, etc.!  :)